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Eggs Benedict, anyone?

The mastery of Eggs Benedict became my conquest back in high school, a task I challenged myself to each year on Christmas morning. Maybe it was the experimental-foods nerd in me starting to hatch, but something about creating the perfect emulsion of butter and egg in a Benedict’s classic Hollandaise sauce seemed like a challenge that I was willing to conquer each year over the holidays. I’m not quite sure why I put myself through the stress, throwing out countless batches of curdled Hollandaise. But the end result (once I finally got it right) was always well worth the battle.

Little did I know I’d go on to study nutrition and food science in college and learn the actual chemistry behind an emulsion (which, by definition, is a mixture of two liquids that should not ordinarily mix together… think oil and water).

Eating healthy should still be delicious.

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I’d also learn that the two main components to a classic Hollandaise are egg yolk and clarified butter, two top contenders in the saturated fat category. But a little goes a long way when it comes to portion control on this classic mother sauce, and in honor of National Eggs Benedict Day, we’ve got a few lighter options to offer.

Our May 2012 issue has a delightful vegetarian take on the benedict, with a light, frothy thyme-infused take on Hollandaise.

Splurge-worthy, elegant, and delightfully rich, sometimes the best Benedicts are the ones that someone else gets to make… and leave the stress of performing the perfect emulsion to a well-trained chef. An easy way to lighten-up that Bistro-prepared Benedict? Order the Hollandaise sauce on the side, and keep those eggs from drowning.